Harvey Augustus Kenaston 1852-1942


Harvey lived in: Illinois, Iowa, Ohio, Nebraska & Idaho







Written by:Judith Kenaston Warren (Great-grandaughter of Harvey Augistus Kenaston





Harvey was born at Sugar Grove, Kane County, Illinois. Due to his Father's vocation as a doctor and pastor in the United Brethren Church the family moved a great deal from several locations in the states of Illinois,Iowa, Ohio, and finally to Nebraska. Harvey was the eldest son, and only 13 years old when his Father left him in charge of the family farm during the Civil War. Upon Dr. Kenaston's discharge, the family relocated to Nebraska and shortly thereafter changed their religious affiliation to the Methodist-Episcopal Church. It was here in Cass County, Nebraska that Harvey made the aquaintence of Ida Fry, a young lady of Irish heritage. She was only sixteen when they decided to wed and her father wrote a note of permission for the wedding. Shortly after Harvey's marriage to Ida they left Cass county and took up a homestead at Red Cloud, in Webster County, Nebraska. Here their first child, Edna was born in 1875. Just before the birth of their second child they returned to Elmwood where Little James was delivered by his Grandfather, Dr. James A. Kenaston. A month later Little James died and was buried in the cemetery on a hill near Dr. & Mrs. Kenaston's home at Elmwood. During the time that Ida and Harvey lived with his parents he served as the Sunday School superintendent and also the town constable. Eventually, they returned to their homestead at Red Cloud and two more daughters; Jessie in 1876, and Flora in 1878 were born there. The threat of Indian wars and grasshopper plagues drove them back to Elmwood once again where another son, George Elsworth Kenaston (my Granddad) was born in 1879 at his Kenaston Grandparent's home. Then, in the early 1880s the entire extended Kenaston family relocated to the prairie land of northern Nebraska at Enterprise where they all took up homesteads. Harvey & Ida's sixth child, Dean was born there in 1893. Harvey served as director of the Keya Paha County, Nebraska school board.
The summer of 1896 Harvey's corn crop was totally devastated by a severe drought and he lost everything. This was the final straw in his decision to give-up his land claim. It was too late in the year to move further West. Their daughter Edna Kenaston Burgess and family had recently moved to a new railroad town of Shoshone, in southern Idaho. On the 1st of May of 1897 the caravan of covered wagons with Harvey's family and their other two other married daughters; Jessie Potter and Flora Campbell and families left for Lincoln County, Idaho. After three months on the trail making an average of ten miles per day they arrived on the 24th of July, 1897. Edna's husband, Charlie owned a freight business here and a small home and stables on the south side of town.
Harvey & Ida rented a little acreage on the north side of Shoshone about a mile from their daughter's home. It already had a nice grove of mature fruit trees and he also planted a garden. He sold fruits and vegetables to the town folk from a horse drawn cart. Sadly, the years of hardship on the Nebraska plains seem to have left Harvey an embittered man and he never again darkened the door of a church. In later years he worked for a Japanese family at a pool hall in Shoshone as bar keeper and custodian. After Ida's sudden death he traveled to Chattanooga, Tennessee to visit his Father, Dr. James A. Kenaston. At this time he recalled seeing the trees that still suffered the devastation of canon balls shot during the Civil War. This was to be the last time he and his Father ever saw one another. Harvey did not care much for being a bachelor so he took a trip to visit his daughters Jessie and Flora who had settled in Colville, Stevens County, Washington. He became re-acquainted with a grass widow by the name of Nancy POTTER. (Nancy was the younger sister of Harvey's son-in-law Ed Potter.) They were married at Shoshone, Idaho and he purchased some property on the northeast corner of Shoshone on the banks of the Little Wood River . Grandma Nancy, was a fine woman and well liked by the family. She proceeded him in death in 1930. In 1932, Harvey traveled by train from Shoshone, Idaho to the 8th annual Kenaston Family reunion held at his brother Dr. H. R. Kenaston's home in Boonsteel, Nebraska. A group picture was taken of the remaining Kenaston siblings and their spouses at this time. In 1935, Harvey was made Honorary President of the Kenaston Family reunion for life after the death of his cousin, Uriah B. Kenaston.
As old age over-took him he sold his property on the north side of town and purchased a small home next to his daughter Edna. He and Grandma Nancy are found there in the 1920 and 1930 census. Nancy died of pneumonia on April 13, 1930 leaving Harvey a widower for the second time.
Harvey lived another 12 years and died in January of 1942 just one month shy of his 90th birthday. At that time southern Idaho was experiencing such a terrible ice storm that the family had much difficulty traveling to his funeral. He is buried beside his first wife Ida and near numerous Burgess grandchildren at the Shoshone Cemetery not far from his first little house on the north/east side of Shoshone.


In 1981, I visited the little old lady who had purchased the 1st property from my Great-grandfather Havey A. Kenaston. She gave me a tour of the tiny house and told me what little she knew of him. She recalled that Harvey seemed to be a very old man to her when he sold the property to her and her late husband.





Information here taken from my great-grandfather, Harvey Augustus Kenaston's bible, Nebraska and Idaho census records, and conversations with Harvey and Ida's grandsons; George H. Kenaston and Boyd W. Kenaston._____

Judy Kenaston Warren E-mail: [email protected]